III Alban Claudin

• 1 The Run 02:49
• 2 Perfect Days 02:24
• 3 Origami 02:27
• 4 Nuits 03:19
• 5 L'échappée 04:42
• 6 Phantasia 01:44
• 7 Whispers 00:45
• 8 Of Love 03:39
• 9 The Last Train 03:46
• 10 L'île 03:08
• 11 Koyasan 01:35
• 12 Aurora 02:50
• 13 Montmartre 03:38
• Total Runtime 36:46

Info for III

Following two albums devoted entirely to the dreamy purity of piano melodies, Alban Claudin is opening up new horizons for his music. With “III”, the composer enriches his short pieces with arrangements for strings, wind instruments or organ, creating delicate, richly contrasting soundscapes untouched by the noise of the world. Concise and inviting, at times minimalist, at times deeply romantic, his compositions form an ambitious album – the full expression of an artist in motion.

The piano remains at the heart of these subtle and organic sonic architectures, yet often enters into a dialogue with other instruments – saxophone, bass clarinet, violin, cello, organ – whose presence the composer sought from the very beginning and whose arrangements he wrote himself.

Always guided by pure and lively melodies, his works shine in a new light, and “III” captivates with its art of contrast, the precision of its lines and the richness of its timbres. Alban Claudin employs short, linear runs borrowed from the minimalists (“The Run”, rhythmically plucked piano strings and a cavalcade of wind instruments; ‘L’échappée’, organ, the ebb and flow of the strings; ‘L’Île’, piano and subtle electronic processing), as well as romantic sonic excursions (the almost waltz-like ‘Of Love’ or ‘Origami’, which unfolds into a moving abundance of strings). A few very short pieces capture a unique, floating moment, such as “Phantasia”, whose dense and undulating melody eventually disappears into a brief labyrinth of unfamiliar sounds. For throughout the album, Alban Claudin’s flair for melody and his masterful art of arrangement combine with a pointillistic and bold exploration of sound textures, making it both cohesive and unique.

III is the radiant and intense work of a composer who forged his own path and followed his intuitions. Born of the tension between the desire for movement and the call of tranquillity, the rumblings of torment and the search for inner peace, the album’s 13 tracks harbour places, emotions and feelings, becoming sanctuaries in their own right for anyone who surrenders to them.

Alban Claudin

Alban Claudin
Two years after It’s a Long Way to Happiness, his critically acclaimed first album that has racked up more than twenty million streams, pianist Alban Claudin returns on September 8, 2023 with Room of Reflection. This enchanting second album confirms his unique feel for playing and his art of melody.

While his first opus was conceived as an open voyage to nature and the world, this second album is more personal, questioning our identity in society and how we can step back and know who we are in a world overflowing with images.

Born and raised in Burgundy (a region renowned for its excellent wines), Alban Claudin remembers a piano’s discreet presence in the living room of the family house. He will soon sit at the keyboard and get into storytelling, four chords, and a melody shaping a simple but already complete composition. In his teenage years when not pounding the keys of the piano, he played football, his second passion; after spending two years at the prestigious AJ Auxerre training center (where Eric Cantona got his start), music won out, and as soon as he graduated from the conservatory, he became a professional musician. A great admirer of Ravel (“whom I listen to at least once a day”, he says), Bartok, Beach House, or Tame Impala, Alban is also a connoisseur of electronic keyboards and a drummer. His musical versatility and technique made him a sought-after instrumentalist on stage or in the studio with preeminent French artists, with Mika for exceptional concerts, and with the violinist Esther Abrami for whom he wrote “Sunken Dreams”, a piece they recorded as a duet for Sony Music.

After scoring documentaries and short films and collaborating with prestigious brands (Van Cleef & Arpels, Chanel, Vuitton…), he composed his first original soundtrack in 2022 for French director Guillaume Gouix’s first film, “Amore Mio”. He is currently working on several projects combining music and images.

Alban’s live performances are a joy to behold: embodying his world of often immediately familiar melodies with humility and humor, he is also capable of unbridled improvisations and unexpected variations on well-known themes… Since the release of his first album, he has performed in Paris, Brussels (Le Botanique), England (London Jazz Festival and Womad), opened for Woodkid at Les Nuits de Fourvière, King of Convenience at La Philarmonie (Days Off Festival, Paris)…

As the French television journalist Edouard Bonnamour puts it, “Alban Claudin is an inspired composer who can send shivers down your spine with just a few notes; his music touches the purest emotions and appeals to everyone of all ages. Room of Reflection is a refuge that promises serene and joyful escapes”.

This album contains no booklet.